This tutorial comes right out of my own experience. I had been doing recording for a long time with no problem, and then suddenly I was getting this powerfully painful “S” sound that hurt my ears when I wore headphones. So, I had to figure out a way to get rid of it.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to figure out anything because somebody already had. Sascha Eversmeier a guy who lives in Berlin (that’s in Germany) had already created his own plugin for all kinds of audio software that takes care of the D-essing problem (that’s what they call it… get it? Getting rid of the “S”?) His website is at www.digitalfishphones.com

So, in this tutorial I’m going to show you:

Where to get this free D-esser plugin

Where to find the instructions to install it in your version of Audacity

How to use it on a S-laden track.

And how to be happy that your S-problems are gone!

Links mentioned:

Podcast cover art and website headers. – here you can find out how to get me to make your own podcast coverart or website header without breaking the bank! I’m now doing cartoon-style representations of you (yes YOU!)… all I need is a good quality photo and you can cartoon-ize yourself!

Removing background noise in Audacity

Sometimes when you do a recording in Audacity, you’ll get a situation where there is an unwanted background noise that is caught on your recording.

In the example you’ll see in this video, it’s one voice talking over another in a recorded interview. But it could be lots of different things that you want to remove – a cell phone ringing, someone clearing their throat or coughing, lip smacks… whatever.

There are quite a few ways to remove those types of unwanted noises, some better than others, some easier than others.

In this tutorial I’m going to show you one of the easiest ways for removing background noise in Audacity, using the “silence audio” tool.

Before you dive in, note this: In my example, I’m using a “joint stereo” track which requires a small little step of preparation before you can actually remove background noise in Audacity.

I also mention the use of the “Noise Removal” effect… with I will cover in a future tutorial for audio editing in Audacity.

Also mentioned in this video Audacity tutorial were the following links!

This tutorial about removing background noise in Audacity was submitted by a viewer. If YOU have a question about how to do something specific in Audacity, send me your feedback and I’ll get right on them!

Make your voice sound like those cute little chipmunks using Audacity!

Someone contacted me on the Facebook page and asked me how to go about making your own, normal voice sound like a chipmunk . That’s what this free tutorial for Audacity is all about.

You can do the “chipmunk effect” (that’s what I’m calling it, what do you think?) by simply speeding up the track – but that’s going to make the words so fast that you’ll have a very difficult time actually comprehending what is being said.

That’s NOT the right way to do the “chipmunk effect.”

You want it done in such a way that the speed of the speaking remains the same, but the voice itself sounds like a chipmunk.

That is exactly what this free tutorial is going to show you!

Watch the video tutorial, leave your comments or questions.

Also mentioned in this video Audacity tutorial were the following links!

Thanks to whoever it was who asked me to show you how to do this! I’d love to make free Audacity tutorials showing YOU how to do what YOU are trying to do. Just don’t ask me to show you how to make your voice sound like a platypus.

So please, let me know what you need help with and I’ll be happy to work out a tutorial on that sort of thing using Audacity!

Intermediate #4 – Using the “append record” function to add audio to the end of a track, and how to insert audio into the middle of a track in Audacity

It’s a common problem that you record a track in the free open-source Audacity program, and then you remember or realize something you should have said. Sometimes you can insert audio like that to the end of the track – and you’d do that using the “append record” tool. Or, you can also insert audio like that into the middle of a track. It’s a bit more complicated to do, but can be done. In this video tutorial for Audacity, I’m going to show you how to do both, using the Append Record function, the split function, the time shift tool, and the cut, copy, and paste functions in Audacity.

Also mentioned in this video Audacity tutorial were the following links!

I’d love to make more of these tutorials that hit exactly on the needs you have! So please, let me know what you need help with and I’ll be happy to work out a tutorial on that sort of thing using Audacity!

Intermediate #3 – Using the “overdub” function to make Audacity work like a mixer (sort of)

One of the things that Audacity CAN’T do is mix tracks together “on the fly” like a regular mixer would do. That’s just one of the limitations. Maybe future releases will enable multiple sound sources coming in to the computer so that you mix in Audacity as you go. However, there IS something you can do that enables you to hear a track you already have placed in your Audacity project, so that you can talk over it appropriately. This fun little function is called “overdub.” I say it’s a way you can use Audacity like a mixer (sort of).

This tutorial will teach you how to use the “overdub” function in Audacity to use the program like a mixer – at least as much as is possible.

Also mentioned in this video Audacity tutorial were the following links!

this tutorial will teach you how to use the “silence audio” function to get rid of those annoying sounds once and for all. It’s easy, takes only a few seconds, and can be done by anyone (well, almost anyone…)

Also mentioned in this video Audacity tutorial were the following links!

One of the main uses of Audacity is to mix sound files together in a way that they are usable and enjoyable. You can put voice over music, music over voice, add effects, distort the sounds… the possibilities are pretty cool.

The tools I show you in this tutorial for Audacity are the first tools you need to learn how to use in order to be able to move things around in the Audacity, or adjust the volume on your individual tracks! Watch the video to learn how to use the time shift tool to move tracks around and the envelope tool to change the volume of tracks. You’ll be amazed how easy it is!

Here’s a brief outline:

[list style=”note”]

Learn where the time shift tool is (move tracks in Audacity)

Watch a demonstration of how to move a track

Learn where the envelope tool is (change track volume in Audacity)

Watch a demonstration of how to change the volume on a track in Audacity

These Tutorials for Audacity are like a manual for Audacity, one step at a time. The only difference is that instead of reading it, you get to SEE it done and hear it taught. Can’t get any better than that! If you have any specific things you’d like to learn how to do in Audacity, shoot me a comment to this post (below) and I’ll be happy to get the particulars of what you are wanting to learn and put together a tutorial for it!

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